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Private Equity Wire featured SRMO and its USP. Read the full text below or access it on Private Equity Wire. 

A London-based company has unveiled a new web-based marketing compliance tool that it says is aiming to transform marketing compliance for the alternative investment fund management (AIFM) industry.

Sales Road Maps Online (SRMO) provides AIFMs with key marketing compliance “rules of the road” for 50 jurisdictions when AIFMs are fundraising worldwide. 

SRMO Founder & CEO Cathy Brand says: “We have had so many clients over the years asking us to develop this product. By way of background, all AIFMs must comply with local rules (which differ country-by-country) on marketing their AIFs. To investigate numerous, complex country regulations is a time-consuming and costly exercise, while AIF sales teams need answers FAST.  

“In response to overwhelming client demand, we launched Sales Road Maps Online. Our 12-year research reveals that our clients and industry players need a ‘RegTech solution’ on their computer with quick access to an easy to follow AIF marketing compliance solution “on demand at their fingertips” (mobile and tablet responsive).

And Brand says that SRMO is the industry’s first and only online AIF marketing compliance guidance tool. 

“The only other tools on the market are legal research matrix products,” she says “SMRO is a compliance tool. We did our homework on market research: based on our 20-year market research and competitor product analysis, we identified a gap in the market for a comprehensive, time-saving, easy to follow online solution to meet client demand for a marketing compliance product (as opposed to a legal research tool). Due to demanding AIF marketing cycles requiring quick relevant answers, many of our clients voiced their need for pointed, key advice to meet the time-limited demands of AIF marketing teams.  Equally, client feedback confirmed they need for high quality, in-depth, non-confusing content for AIF marketing compliance guidance (“content substance”).   

SRMO Sales Road Maps tell users what the local AIF marketing rules are and more importantly, provide guidance on how to comply with those rules in the form of AIF marketing “Do’s & Don’ts”.

As Brand points out: “How to comply with local rules is the missing piece that does not exist in other products on the market today.”

AIFMs can subscribe to SRMO Sales Road Maps on an annual basis, the content of which is confirmed by local law firms (with ongoing updates), potentially saving significant time and legal fees. Each SRMO Sales Road Map provides 10-step guidance on marketing AIFs in 50 jurisdictions.  

In addition, SRMO Sales Road Maps aim to assist AIFMs in developing their AIF distribution strategy to focus their marketing efforts on “low hanging fruit” countries (with regulations that are easier to meet) vs “high hanging fruit” countries (with restrictive regulations necessitating more time or cost outlay).  

As Brand explains: “If you are an AIFM wanting to distribute your AIF overseas, you want to fundraise in the most streamlined method possible, while mitigating your distribution risk. SRMO Sales Road Maps help AIFMs FOCUS their overseas marketing efforts by identifying regulatory roadblocks up-front, while saving you time and legal budgets. And if a Subscriber requires bespoke legal advice customised to their specific circumstances, personalised legal Counsel contacts can be found under the SRMs.

“SRMO’s mission is to be the AIFM’s “self-help tool” with resources including marketing compliance training videos, “downloadable” country disclaimer language (legends), FREE Library with articles from a legal & compliance network and SRMO 360°, related service providers (with personalised contacts) for the full-360°-degree range of services required by AIFMs as part of AIF management and distribution.

“We believe SRMO’s full range of resources will be helpful and solutions oriented for AIFMs when facing the complexity of global AIF distribution.”

And Brand is predicting the new web-based tool could “change the game” for the legal & compliance industry by providing more value-added, detailed content at a cost-effective price.

“We aim to solve up to circa 80 per cent of the majority of AIFM queries on AIF marketing regulations, which will give the Compliance Officer enough initial guidance to the AIF sales teams (on demand),” she says. “We are not interested in producing high level “teaser products” which create more questions. Of course, the only way for AIFMs to be fully informed of local regulations is to take bespoke legal advice from a local law firm, which SRMO Sales Road Maps© do not provide.  However, SRMs get you up the “learning curve” quickly and if you need bespoke legal advice according to your circumstances, you can contact the legal Counsels listed under each SRM.”  

About Cathy Brand

Cathy Brand CEO of Global Sales Compliance Ltd.® (UK) and Sales Road Maps Online Ltd.® (UK) has more than 27 year’s experience in banking and financial services. A leading expert in her field with 20 year's of experience in financial services laws & regulations worldwide ,she has worked for some of largest companies in world including Citigroup ,UBS and Zurich Insurance. Twelve years ago (in 2006) Cathy setup GSC,a bespoke marketing compliance consultancy for AIFM’s,Asset Managers ,Financial institutions and Broker-Dealers (Third Party Marketing Platforms) before launching Sales Road Maps Online® in 2018. Key to the R&D process for SRMO is valuable GSC client feedback and issues of concern during GSC’s ongoing bespoke compliance consultancy.